Linco Lighting kit sale

Linco actually sells good lighting kits, but the pricing on a normal starter kit like the one above usually comes in at around $900 for a 2 light kit and goes up from there. But right now they are offering their Flora lighting kits for a little bit better than half price ($427 buy it now with free shipping).

Linco Flora Light kit  (2 of 7)

I own a couple of these kits. The build quality and design is well above what you find in some of the low price Cowboystudio kits and the umbrella soft box design is much easier to assemble. These heads are also rated for up to 8 amps of continues load which means you’re really only limited by the physical size of the CFL bulb you use.

(skip ahead if you don’t care about the math)

I was asked a few days ago about getting larger bulbs for a set of lights, so here’s how you would figure out what your head can handle. The math works out to Amps x Volts = Watts, the light kit above has a 8 amp fuse so 8 (amps) x 115 (volts) = 960 watts max per head.

In this case I’m talking about actual watts used by the CFL not it’s equivalent incandescent bulb rating. Divide that 960 watts by 6 sockets and you have a max rating of about 150 watts per bulb. Since a 105 watt CFL (400 watt equivalent) has a 4 inch diameter, you wont be able to fit 6 bulbs of that size into the socket spacing and since each socket can handle up to a max of 150 watts, you’ll never have to worry about blowing the fuse or overloading the head.

Cowboy studio vs ALZO CFL 1

While I’m on the subject of bulbs, this image is from a test I did awhile back. While some manufactures claim a given watt rating and equivalent light output, some lower price bulbs aren’t actually giving you what’s advertised. In this case all 5 of the above bulbs are supposed to be 45 watt CFL’s with a approximate incandescent equivalent value of 200 watts of output. The 4 brighter bulbs are ALZO 45 watt CFL bulbs while the much dimmer light in the center is a Cowboystudio 45 watt CFL bulb. Sure you’ll save $15 buying the Cowboystudio 4 pack, but you’re also getting about half the light output.

The price might be tempting, but it’s worth it to spend a little extra and get the good bulbs if you actually want good light output from your kit. All CFL’s are not created equal and I’m not sure if there is any real regulation in the market. Many of the lowest priced bulbs seem to be re-branded with a higher ratting even though the true value is something much lower.

Linco Flora Light kit  (1 of 7)

If you’re interested in picking up a Linco Flora lighting kit, check out my fill review here. The build quality and design make them well worth the price when they are on sale(IMHO), especially if you’re looking to upgrade. Also if you’ve run across any other lower performing CFL on the market, let me know. It might be helpful to put together a buyers guide covering the best CFL lights for video work.

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